Dave Davies

So the parents reach him, talk to him, and the police talk to him.

What did Sam Woodward say to them?

Right.

And his story falls apart pretty quickly.

I mean, he's been changing details.

Right.

And so he's clearly not telling the truth about what happened that night.

Then some rainfall comes and that uncovers a shallow grave in the area where they said they'd walked.

And it's clearly Blaise Bernstein's body, right?

Right.

So until that information came up, neither the victim's family nor the police really knew how involved Sam Woodward was in these extremist groups, right?

So that was journalism making a difference.

So in the end, the jury renders a quick verdict of guilty, and he is sentenced eventually to life in prison without possibility of parole.

And did you talk to the Bernstein family, the parents of the... I did, yeah.

We need to take another break here.

We are speaking with veteran investigative reporter Eric Lichtblau.

His new book is American Reich, A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate.

We'll be back after this short break.

This is Fresh Air.

Your book is really about this dramatic rise in hate crimes and hate groups and their activities.